Adjustable sprinkler pipe assemblies



April 9, 1963 F. A. HUTTY ETAL ADJUSTABLE SPRINKLER PIPE ASSEMBLIESINVENTOR.

FRED 4. Harry y WILLIAM J. 772/c/ Ev M150 Sf/iltj IMW [m4 Filed Aug. 18,1960 United States Patent 3,084,869 ADIUSTABLE SIRINKLER PIPE ASSEMBLIESFred A. Hutty, Wayne, and William 5. Trickey, East Lansing, Mich,assignors of thirty-three and one-third percent to Thomas F. Needham,Wayne, Mich. Filed Aug. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 59,435

6 Ciaims. (Cl. 23920l) This invention relates to extensible-retractiblepipe assemblies, as for example pipe assemblies utilized to form theriser between an underground water supply conduit and a sprinkler head.

In. sprinkler systems the various water supply conduits are located avariable distance below the earth surface, as for example from aboutseven inches below the earth surface to about fourteen inches below theearth surface. In order to supply the sprinkler heads with water thereare provided vertical riser pipes between selected points on theunderground supply conduits and the sprinkler heads. conventionallythese risers are formed to a particular length, as during manufacture atthe factory or by the assembling together of conventional pipe sectionsat the installation site. During the installation procedure the watersupply conduits are extended within trenches dug into the earth, and itis very difiicult to obtain a satisfactory level of every portion ofeach water supply pipe such as to dispose the sprinkler heads at thedesired elevations with respect to ground level. In actual conventionalpractice many cut and try operations are required to obtain satisfactoryresults as regards correct positionment of the sprinkler heads.

After each installation has been in service for a period variouschangesoccur in the earth strata and in the earths', surface contour, as byreason of earth sinkage and grass cuttingaccumulation, etc.,consequently vertical adjustment of the individual sprinkler heads isvery often necessary. Under conventional practice and installation suchadjustments are very difficult if not impossible except by completereplacement of the riser with one of the required length.

One object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable lengthconduit mechanism which can be readily employed as an adjustable lengthriser between an underground water supply pipe and sprinkler head, thearrangement being characterized by the fact that the riser can bereadily adjusted to position its sprinkler head at any desired level.

A'further object of the invention is to provide an adjustable lengthriser construction and pipe assembly wherein adjustments may be madewithout cutting, deforming or otherwise disturbing the riser position inthe earth.

A further object of the invention is to provide an adjustable lengthpipe and riser assembly wherein the adjustments .can be performed afterthe riser is located within the'earth, thereby enabling the riser lengthto be adjusted at any time subsequent to installation of the sprinklingsys- 'tem in which it is used.

An additional object is to provide an adjustable length riserconstruction wherein the adjustment operations can be performed withoutseparating or removing the sprinkler head from the riser.

A further object is to provide an adjustable length riser constructionwherein the adjusting operations can be performed readily from aboveground by the average home owner Without digging out the earth aroundthe riser.

A further object of the invention is to provide an adjustable lengthriser which may be economically formed, and which may be manufactured tohave a relative small number of component parts.

Another object is to provide an adjustable length riser which can beadjusted for length without extending tools 'down into the riserinterior.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an adjustablelength riser construction which may be adjusted into an infinite numberof riser positions without the requirement for a fixed or predeterminedspacing between positions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an adjustablelength riser wherein a novel seal is provided between the adjustedsections for preventing loss of Water through the riser section joint.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an adjustable lengthriser which can be utilized with conventional plastic pipe commonlyemployed for underground water supply conduits.

A major object of the invention is to provide an adjustable length riserwhich can be manufactured as a relatively low cost item in competitionwith inferior nonadjustable constructions.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following descriptionand appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken through one embodiment of theinvention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 133 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a portion of the FIG. 1 embodiment,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 in FIG. 1,

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practised or carried out in various ways. Also,it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employedherein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly the FIG. 1, there isdisclosed a portion of an underground automatic sprinkler system,including a generally horizontal plastic pipe 10 for supplying water toa generally vertical up standing riser indicated generally by thenumeral 12. .The upper end of the riser is threaded, as at 14 to connectthe riser with any suitable sprinkler head, herein designated by numeral16. Insofar as the present invention is concerned any suitable sprinklerhead construction can be utilized as for example a fixed adjustableorifice head or the conventional pop up type head. If desired the headcould be formed as an integral part of riser section 2%).

Referring further to the construction of riser 12, it will be seen fromFIG. 1 that the riser includes a lower generally tubular pipe section 18and an upper generally tubular pipe section 20 telescoped within thelower pipe section for axial and rotatable movement relative thereto.

The lower pipe section 13 is formed integrally with a clamp portion 22,herein shown as an arcuate generally semi-circular section having a lug24 and a flange 26. Portion 22 seats on the upper cylindrical surface ofthe plastic conduit 10, and a second clamp portion 28 seats on the lowersurface of plastic conduit 10. As will be seen from FIGS. 1 and 4, clampportion 28 is provided with a lug 30 and a flange 32. The aforementionedlug 24- extends downwardly from the clamp portion 22 and is providedwith an opening 34 for removably receiving the lug 39. The opposedflanges 26 and 32 are suitably apertured to receive a screw 36, with theopening in flange 32 being suitably threaded so that screw 36 canfunction to apply a clamping pressure through portions 22 and 28 ontothe surface of plastic pipe 10. The primary purpose of this clampingpressure is to provide a seal on the outer surface of the plastic pipe10, so as to prevent escape of water from hole 38 around the jointbetween portion 22 and the outer surface of pipe 10.

Hole 38 may be formed in pipe 10 by drilling procedures at anyappropriate point along the pipe length, either before installation ofriser 12 or after installation thereof. When hole 38 is to be formedafter stationment of the riser on pipe '10 thehole-forming operation maybe accomplished by extending a tool (such as a drill or hot iron) downthrough the riser. It will be understood that within the broader aspectsof the invention the Water supply pipe can be connected with the riserby other means than that shown herein. For example metal nipples andupstanding Ts can be employed for connection to pipe section 18.

By reference to the drawings it will be seen that riser section 18extends vertically upwardly from clamp portion 22 for a substantialdistance, and that vertically extending wall portion 40 thereof isflattened as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This flattened portion givessection 18 a noncircular inner surface contour which allows the pipesection to act as a key means for preventing rotation of certain of thecomponents to be described hereinafter. The key action could be achievedby other configurations such as by the formation of ribs or grooves onsection 18, or by forming section 18 with a rectangular cross section,hexagonal cross section, etc.

In the illustrated embodiment the extreme upper end portion of section18 is reduced in diameter as at 42, and it will be seen from FIG. 5 thatreduced portion 42 is of cylindrical internal configuration so as toconform with the cylindrical contour of the upper riser pipe section 20.Portion 42 could be formed separately from the main portion of section18, as by constructing it as a separate internally threaded cap formeshed engagement on a threaded area formed as part of section 18.Portion 42 acts as a guide for section and as a dirt-excluder.

Riser pipe section 20 is of cylindrical configuration for its entirevertical extent, and is provided with a reduced diameter cylindricaltubular section 44 at its lower end. The extreme lower end portion ofextension 44 is threaded as at 46. If desired the entire length ofextension 46 could be formed with external threads, although as will beseen from the drawings this is not necessary.

The juncture between extension 44 and the main length of pipe 20 definesa shoulder on which is seated a washer 48. Preferably the outerperipheral surface of washer 48 conforms to the contour of the innersurface of tubular riser section 18 so that washer 48 is prevented fromrotary movement relative to section 18.

In the space immediately below washer 48 there is dis posed an annularrubber-like compressible sealing element 50 which, as shown in FIG. 3has its outer peripheral surface conforming to the configuration ofriser section 18 so that element 50 is prevented from rotary movementrelative to section 18. In the space immediately below sealing element50 there is disposed at second washer 52 which is also configured toconform with the surface of pipe section 18. Some variation in thegasketwasher arrangement is possible while still obtaining satisfactoryresults. For example washer 48 could be eliminated and theaforementioned juncture formed as a sloping surface, in which case thegasket would have a wedging or camming relationship on the slopingsurface. The gasket could be formed with a rounded doughnut shape withsatisfactory results.

In the illustrated embodiment immediately below washer 52 there isdisposed an internally threaded nut 54 which has its peripheral surfaceconfigured to conform with the inner surface of pipe section .18. Itwill be understood that in the illustrated embodiment each of theelements 48, 50, 52 and 54 are slidably keyed to the tubular section 118so that while each of these elements can move axially of the pipesection 18 yet none of them can move rotatably relative to pipe section18. As previously indicated, the pipe section 20 is free to rotatewithin section 18.

In the FIG. 1 position sealing element 50 is in an axially compressedcondition so that its outer peripheral surface is expanded radiallyoutwardly into tight surface engagement with the inner surface of risersection 18. By this construction, when water is pumped through sup plypipe 10 a portion thereof is directed upwardly into riser section =18,then into the interior of riser section 20, then into sprinkler head 16,and then outwardly therefrom as a fine spray onto the area to beirrigated, shown in the drawings by the numeral 17 The tight surfaceengagement between element 5'0 and the inner surface of section 18 isvery important in that it prevents any undesired escape of water intothe earth.

As previously noted, at various times it is necessary to adjust thelength of the riser assembly, as for example during initial installationof the sprinkling system and after the ground has settled or earthaccumulations have formed at the earth surface. In the illustratedembodiment the axial adjustment of the riser assembly can be veryreadily accomplished by a mere turning of head 16- riser section '20assembly; in this connection these components are in practice very tighton one another because of the high tightening torque and dopeapplication.

In the riser adjustment operation, as a manual rotary force is appliedto pipe section 20 the nut 54 threads down on the threads 46 (becausethe nut 54 is keyed to section 18). As nut 54 threads down on threads 46the sealing element 50 is permitted to elongate in an axial directionsuch that its outer peripheral surface draws radially inwardly away fromthe surface of riser section 18.

After section 20 has been manually rotated for a suitable distance, asfor example one complete revolution, the sealing element 50 issufficiently loose on section 18 as to permit axial adjustment ofsection 20 vertically in section 18. When section 20 has been axiallyadjusted to a desired position the upper end of section 20 may again berotated (but in a reverse direction) so as to cause nut 54 to be drawnupwardly on extension 44 in a manner to axially compress sealing element50. By this action the sealing element is caused to expand radiallyoutwardly into tight Sealing engagement with the inner surface of risersection 18.

A major feature of importance in connection with the illustratedembodiment is the fact that anyone can make the axial adjustment of theriser assembly from above ground and in a minimum time period, Thisfeature enables the average home owner to make the adjustment at anytime after the initial installation of the sprinkler system.conventionally a major problem is encountered by reason of the fact thatafter an underground system has been installed a second trip to theinstallation is required in order for the installer to adjust the heightof the sprinkler heads. By using the present invention the home ownercan by himself make the adjustment, thereby eliminating an expensiveservice call by the installer. It will be understood that in making theadjustment the sprinkler head 16 need not be removed from riser section20 since the actual rotary and axial forces can be applied by manuallygripping the sprinkler head. The adjustment can be performed Withoutdigging away any of the earth adjacent the riser.

A feature of interest in connection with the illustrated embodiment isthe fact that the riser assembly can be adjusted to give an infinitenumber of sprinkler head levels, i.e., there is no fixed pre-determinedspacing between the various positions of adjustment. The adjustableriser assembly is of course slightly more expensive than theconventional non-adjustable construction. However, the riser section 18as shown in the drawings can be built integrally with the clamp portion22, as by making the clamp portion 22 and the riser portion 18 as anintegral one piece casting. Such a construction lowers the total priceof the complete installation and additionally makes for greaterversatility in that portions 22 and 28 allow the riser assembly to beinstalled at any desired point along supply pipe 10.

The drawings illustrate the riser assembly as having the upper risersection telescoped within the lower riser section 18. It is contemplatedhowever that these parts can be reversed from their illustratedpositions, i.e., portion 20 can be formed to extend integrally fromclamp portion 22, and portion 18 can be utilized as the upper elementfor connection with sprinkler head 16. Stated in another way, thestructures between clamp portion 22 and head 16 can be turned end forend, in which case portion 20 would extend upwardly from clamp portion22 and riser portion 18 would extend downwardly from head 16.

The illustrated arrangement is preferred to that described immediatelyabove because the adjustment of the upper riser section can be carriedout with less interference from dirt accumulations around the outersurface of the pipe. Thus, as the illustrated riser section 20 is slidup and down in section 18 its lower end is located within section 18 soas to be free from contact with the surrounding earth. If element 18were employed as the upper element its lower end would have to drivethrough earth accumulations surrounding the lower riser section on itsdescending movement.

The drawings necessarily show a particular embodiment of the invention,but it will be appreciated that various modifications and changes may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as setforth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The combination comprising an adjustable sprinkler head riserassembly including two telescoping elongated sections slidable axiallyon one another and rotatable relative to one another; a compressiblesealing element carried by one of said sections and having a surfaceengageable with the other section to seal the joint between sections;means keying the sealing element against rotation relative to the othersection; and means for effecting radial expansion and contraction of thesealing element, including thread means carried on a portion of thefirst section, nut means meshed with the thread means, and meansslidably keying the nut means against rotation relative to the othersection.

2. In an underground sprinkler installation the combination comprising agenerally horizontally extending water supply pipe; a riser assemblyextending upwardly from said supply pipe, including a first risersection afiixed to the supply pipe and a second riser section telescopedon the first riser section for axial and rotational movement relativethereto; a sealing element rotatably carried by one of said sections andengageable with a circumferential surface of the other section toprovide a seal between the sections; means keying the sealing elementagainst rotation relative to the other riser section; and means carriedby said one section for expanding and contracting the sealing elementbetween a loose condition and a tightly sealed condition upon relativerotation of said sections.

3. The combination comprising an outer tubular pipe section having atleast a portion of its length configured to form a keyed inner surface;a second pipe section telescoped within the first pipe section for axialand rotary movement relative thereto; an extension on one end of saidsecond pipe section, at least a portion of said extension havingexternal threads formed thereon; an annular rubber-like sealing elementof substantial axial dimension encircling the extension, and having itsouter pcripheral surface conforming generally to the inner surfacecontour of the first pipe section so as to be keyed therewith againstrelative rotary movement; and a nut threaded on the extension threadsand having its outer peripheral surface keyed to the first pipe sectionso as to apply an axial force onto the sealing element when the two pipesections are rotated relative to one another.

4. In a sprinkler installation the combination comprising a lowertubular riser section having at least a portion of its length formedwith a keyed inner surface configuration; an upper tubular riserslidably telescoped into the lower section so that the upper section maybe rotated and slid axially up and down in the lower section; a tubularextension formed on the lower end portion of the upper riser section;the outer surface of said extension being threaded for at least aportion of its length; an annular rubber-like sealing element encirclingthe extension and conforming to the inner surface configuration of thelower tubular section so as to be prevented from rotation when the upperpipe section is rotated; and nut means threaded onto the extensionthreads in keyed re1ationship to the lower riser section; whereby manualrotation of the upper riser section is effective to move the nut meansvertically for causing same to apply an axial distorting force to thecompressible sealing element such that it is radially expanded intosealing engagement with the inner surface of the lower tubular section.

5. In a telescoping pipe lock, first and second telescoping pipesslidable axially and rotatable relative to one another, a compressiblesealing element rotatably carried by one of said pipes and having asurface engageable with the other pipe to provide a fluid seal betweenthe pipes, a key element on said other pipe engageable with said seal toprevent relative rotation between said seal and said other pipe, andmeans between said pipes and contacting said sealing element andengageable with said key element to prevent relative rotation betweensaid means and said other pipe for effecting radial expansion andcontraction of said sealing element upon relative rotation of saidpipes.

6. In a telescoping sprinkler and riser,

first and second telescoping pipes slidable axially and rotatablerelative to one another,

said pipes being separated by an annular gap,

a compressible sealing element rotatably carried by one of said pipesand having a surface engageable with the other pipe to provide a fluidseal between the p pe a key element on said other pipe in said annulargap and engageable with said seal to prevent relative rotation betweenthe sealing element and said other pipe, and

means rotatable relative to said one pipe and engageable with said sealand said key element for effecting radial expansion and contraction ofsaid sealing element upon relative rotation of said pipes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS901,284 Edmunds Oct. 13, 1908 1,334,007 White Mar. 16, 1920 1,463,517Mackey July 31, 1923 1,903,392 Crowley Apr. 4, 1933 2,031,754 BacigalupiFeb. 25, 1936 2,705,121 Kaminky et al Mar. 29, 1955 2,912,202 PetrickNov. 10, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 601,674 Great Britain Oct. 19, 1948787,687 Great Britain Dec. 11, 1957

1. THE COMBINATION COMPRISING AN ADJUSTABLE SPRINKLER HEAD RISERASSEMBLY INCLUDING TWO TELESCOPING ELONGATED SECTIONS SLIDABLE AXIALLYON ONE ANOTHER AND ROTATABLE RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER; A COMPRESSIBLESEALING ELEMENT CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID SECTIONS AND HAVING A SURFACEENGAGEABLE WITH THE OTHER SECTION TO SEAL THE JOINT BETWEEN SECTIONS;MEANS KEYING THE SEALING ELEMENT AGAINST ROTATION RELATIVE TO THE OTHERSECTION; AND MEANS FOR EFFECTING RADIAL EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF THESEALING ELEMENT, INCLUDING THREAD MEANS CARRIED ON A PORTION OF THEFIRST SECTION, NUT MEANS MESHED WITH THE THREAD MEANS, AND MEANSSLIDABLY KEYING THE NUT MEANS AGAINST ROTATION RELATIVE TO THE OTHERSECTION.